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The Royal Prisoner
Chapter 17
Basile Paoli, Duke of Bonifacio, was lying on a bench inside a prison cell. He was worried, he knew this day could come, he knew the risks. He was however haunted by his little boy's screams, his precious baby.
Basile was staring at the ceiling, wondering what was next for him. Perhaps he would be the subject of a bargain between the Rebels and the Imperial Government, if the Rebel won, he would indubitably be vindicated. But how long would he have to rot in a prison cell? He prayed to be reunited with his family as soon as possible. Basile heard the corridor's metallic gate being unlocked. Following that, the unmistakable sound of boots walking on the concrete floor and then his own cell door was opened as well. A guard came in and brought a chair with him that he placed in front of the duke's bench. Basile straightened up and stared at the guard with confusion. The guard walked out the cell and then a young man came in.
"Your Majesty!" Basile exclaimed with shock. Quickly he stood up and bowed to the Emperor. The handsome young Hector was standing in the middle of the duke's cell. He gestured to Basile to sit and readjusted his chair before sitting as well.
"How do you like your new home?" Hector asked with a stern look. "I gather you are going to spend some time here."
"Your Majesty, may I ask what happened to my children" The duke eventually asked after a moment of awkward silence.
"Your daughter is with her grandmother, and your son is with me." The Emperor answered. The duke's eyes grew wide and his heart almost jumped from his chest.
"Oh! Please, Your Majesty! He is just a boy! I beg you! Do whatever you want with me but please..." Basile started pleading pitifully before the Emperor raised his hand and gestured to him to stop.
"Enough! Now I know you do not have a high opinion of me but implying I would take my anger on a six years old boy." Hector interrupted with obvious irritation. "Besides, I am not angry at you. It has been six months I know you betrayed us." He added, regaining his composure.
"It has... what? Six months? But... then how did..." The duke stammered.
"And within these six months, you have done more to help us win this war than anyone else." Hector announced with a fake smile. Suddenly, Basile started to understand. "Yesterday, as you already know, the Rebel fleet was to attack one of our aircraft carriers that launched an attack on Jaffa earlier this week. Thanks to the information you communicated with Colona d'Istria he sent his fleet to retaliate. His information was incorrect, you see, someone told him that our fleet was currently spread out between Malta, Gibraltar and the Genoese blockade. And that someone, I suppose, was you. The fact is, when the Rebel's fleet sailed by the Island of Schiza they expected to encounter six warships. Six!" the Emperor emphasized. "The seventeen Rebel warships were expected by thirty-nine of ours, including fifteen that have been built only two months ago and whose construction you failed to report to the Rebellion."
Basile was stunned by what the Emperor was telling him. The duke had been extra-careful to be informed of everything that happened in Corsica, he was the brain of a spy net that spread all around the Island, and he missed the construction of fifteen battleships? He could not believe what he heard, and as a matter of fact he was seriously doubting it. Could the Emperor try to mess with him? to confuse him purposely?
Hector was displaying a satisfactory grin; the handsome young man savoured his revenge on the duke. He had been responsible for Victor's kidnapping as he informed the Rebellion of every single imperial troop's position around Heraklion. The duke had deprived Hector of his baby brother, and now he wanted him to know that he sealed his own fate by helping him defeat the Rebels. The duke gulped and glanced at Hector's strict expression.
"Your Majesty, what will you do with my son?" Basile wondered with a soft tone.
"You care about family now?" The Emperor asked "Was family also on your mind when you fuelled that war? What about the families of the tens of thousands of soldiers that died? Don't they have a father, a son, a brother, a husband to mourn?" Hector enumerated with contempt. "Was family on your mind when you helped General Ciabrini capture my seventeen-year-old brother?" He asked, raising his voice a little. "And for what? For money! For power! Keeping your little privileges of raising local taxes! Do you have financial difficulties, Basile Paoli Duke of Bonifacio?" the Emperor concluded.
"You will tell me where my brother is." Hector then commanded with authority.
"I don't know where His Imperial Highness is, Your Majesty." The duke answered almost defiantly.
"I see. You know, I was not lying when I told you I would never harm a six-year-old boy. Never! Not myself at least." Hector specified. "I have heard that the police arrested three men in Sartène a few days ago. Apparently, they were violent paedophiles. I have been told that the girl they raped needed thirty-seven stitches and has been in a coma for weeks now." He related while staring at the duke straight in the eye. "Imagine what you would do for your son's sake and multiply it by ten. You are still not even close to what I would do for my baby brother." The Emperor warned. "Do we understand one another?"
The Duke of Bonifacio was white as a ghost. He gulped painfully and shivered when he heard the Emperor's threats.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Basile answered, defeatedly.
"Given your position in the Rebellion, there is nothing you do not know about my brother's captivity. Fail to tell me one detail, one single detail and..." Hector shook his head with an ice-cold grin and stopped his sentence, but the duke knew what he implied. "Tell me everything I need to know about Hadrien Ciabrini, about my brother's captivity and about the Rebellion's plans for him."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Victor was browsing his fingers over the long mahogany piano in the large library. They were all back in Jerash now, and it was like Jerusalem never happened. Alexandre, Sasha, Muhammad, all of them vanished. Prince Victor was back in jail.
He sat on the velvet stool and sighed deeply. Then, in a sudden move, his fingers met the piano keyboard and the prince started playing. It was already late in the evening, and most officers were already in their apartments sleeping after a very long day. When Victor played music, he forgot about everything else. The prince closed his eyes and let his mind focus solely on the powerful emotions that radiated from the piano. He lost track of time and played, over and over.
"You missed it?" Victor jumped from surprise hearing the voice talking to him just behind his back.
"You scared me!" The prince simply declared. "How long have you been watching me playing, General?"
"Quite some time. I enjoy listening to you, and I have good memories with that piano." Hadrien said as he walked closer to the prince. "Do you remember the night I gave it to you?" Hadrien asked.
"I remember yes." Victor shyly answered.
"We used to get along quite well." Hadrien added, looking straight into Victor's eyes. "I miss that"
"Pfff!" The prince snapped. "You are such a liar. Your little game is over, General! What do you want from me? Why don't you just tell me what you need this time, another treaty perhaps? Be a man for once in your life and don't try to seduce me like a whore!" Victor added with contempt.
"That is NOT what happened Victor and you KNOW IT!" Hadrien furiously shot back.
"Oh really?!" Victor shouted. "REALLY?!"
"NO! I care for you, I care more than I should!" Hadrien answered while lowering his voice.
"LIAR!" Victor screamed with passion. "I HATE YOU!"
"No, you don't." Hadrien then said while kneeling in front of the prince so they were at the same height. "You don't hate me for the same reason I don't hate you; because you simply cannot." Hadrien added, his face centimetres from the prince's.
"Leave me alone Hadrien." Victor mumbled weakly.
"I love you Victor!" Hadrien confessed with watery eyes. The prince never witnessed the general show any emotion except for anger and he was deeply unsettled. He waited for these words to be said for a long time, but he was not sure anymore he could bear them. What was left of Victor's toughness melted gradually until he could not take it anymore. The prince suddenly stood up from his stool and backed off from the general.
"From the moment I arrived here you used me! I am nothing more than a tool for you! You watched me being choked unconscious by this pig, and if you had to you would do it yourself!" Victor told him accusingly. Hadrien stood up as well and walked to the prince until Victor could not back off anymore. He pressed his muscled body against the prince's and looked at him straight in the eye.
"I wish!" Hadrien admitted. "I wish I were this man you described. I have been for a very long time now, remorselessly getting my way with people. From the moment you arrived here I wanted nothing more than being able to treat you as a mere pawn for my career, as it was meant to be!" He explained with a low deep voice. His hot breath blowing on Victor's skin. "And yet, I cannot." He added. "I hated you when you told me you loved me the other day. I was infuriated, I felt like you toyed with me, I shivered knowing the power you have over me. But I cannot help it, you are my Achilles' heel and there is nothing I can do about it!"
"What future is there for us out there?" Victor answered on the verge of tears.
"None." Hadrien declared. "There is no future and there is no hope for us."
"What's the point then?" Victor sobbed, unable to look at Hadrien in the eye.
"There is no point, no point at all." Hadrien said, holding the prince's chin to force him to look in his eyes. "Yet I cannot stop desiring you." He concluded. Victor moved his face closed and pressed his lips against Hadrien's. They started kissing languidly as their hands were exploring each other's body.
"I don't want to play pretend anymore Hadrien! I want to be yours; I don't want to hide!" Victor said after breaking the embrace.
"What do you mean?" Hadrien warily asked. "You know we can't!"
"I am serious!" Victor suddenly declared. "Either we stop hiding or we stop seeing each other, I won't be your dirty little secret anymore!" The prince added with a stern face.
"You can't ask that from me Victor!" Hadrien exclaimed with disbelief.
"Take it or leave it Hadrien!" Victor threatened.
The general stayed dumbfounded and did not answer anything. They stared at one another silently for a few moments, but nothing happened. the prince was irritated by his lack of courage. Victor pushed him off and stormed out of the library with tears of anger.
Hadrien wanted to run after him, to beg, but he could not. Hadrien sighed and took some time alone in the library to process everything that just happened. Now he could not be persuaded to somehow manage to openly date the prince. How would the General Staff react? Surely, they would have to draw a line somewhere! No, that could not be. Victor was out of his mind! But he would come to his senses, eventually. Hadrien just had to wait. Yes, that is it. Just wait, the boy will crawl back to you and beg for your cock! Hadrien chuckled hearing himself think such a thing.