The Royal Prisoner

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The Royal Prisoner

Chapter 20

Hector III of Corsica was sitting in the backseat of his large car, looking by the window. He had always loved the green Corsican mountains, so when the government advised that he limit his public appearances as much as possible, he jumped on the opportunity to leave the capital and head to his private estate in Quenza. 6-year-old Maël was sleeping soundly next to the young Emperor, holding a teddy bear tightly against his chest.

Hector felt the little boy could actually enjoy staying in the mountains with him. The young sovereign fondly reminisced when his own little family stayed at the Quenza Castle during his youth. It was one of the rare occasions on which the late Emperor remotely took interest in his two sons: Hector and Victor. After Hector II passed, and Hector III was crowned, the new Emperor made sure to spend as much time there with his brother Victor as his tight schedule allowed him.

Eventually, an hour and a half after they had left the Imperial Palace, the car pulled in front of Quenza Castle. 50 years earlier, the castle was considerably smaller, but it was now a very large stone building overhanging an equally large estate.

Hector unbuckled the little boy and took him in his arms before getting out of the car. Maël stirred and slowly opened his sleepy eyes. Hector smiled at him tenderly and the boy nested his head in the small of the sovereign's neck. In the course of the 10 days the 6-years-old had spent at the palace since his parents were arrested, the young Emperor had turned somehow territorial of the boy. Mostly out of guilt, Hector had decided he would take care of the boy.

The Emperor carried the boy inside of the castle as the domestics followed them with the luggage. Hector insisted that, unlike in the Imperial Palace, life in the castle was to be much more casual and protocol-free. He hoped to let off some steam and enjoy some much-needed vacations from the court.

As they walked in the castle, Maël straightened up in Hector's arms and looked around him, scrutinizing the old-fashioned furniture and decorations. The house staff was introduced to the Emperor in the great hall and the boy tightened his little arms around Hector. Being introduced to so many people was challenging enough for a young boy, but it was even worse since the traumatic experience of his father's arrest. It broke Hector's heart to witness the boy's distress, and it comforted him in his decision to take Maël with him in the castle, where life would be much more simple and laid back, for both of them.

"Are you hungry, Maël?" Hector asked him with a soft voice.

"Yes." Maël confessed, his voice muffled against the sovereign's broad shoulder.

"Me too!" Hector chuckled playfully. "We'll have lunch in the private lounge by the gardens." He then instructed the butler before dismissing the staff altogether. Once they were alone, he gently dropped the boy on the floor and ruffled his hair. "Would you like to tour the castle with me?" He proposed sheepishly with a wide smile. Maël eagerly nodded and the sovereign winked at him.

"Horses!" The boy exclaimed enthusiastically, finger pointing at the pasture by the stable where the horses were enjoying the late morning sun.

"You like horses?" Hector asked, amused by the boy's reaction. "These are mine." The young sovereign whispered with a smirk as if he was confessing a secret. Maël's face brightened and he seemed ecstatic, he shot the Emperor a hopeful glance and Hector chuckled. "Would you like to ride with me this afternoon?" He suggested mischievously.

"Really? I can?!" The boy shouted excitedly.

"You sure can!" The Emperor confirmed with a wide smile. "I used to ride them with my brother. When I was younger, I would even let Victor ride my horse with me, he loved that!" Hector reminisced fondly with a pinch in the heart.

"Your Majesty." A voice said behind them. Hector turned and the boy pressed himself against the young sovereign, intimidated. "Lunch is ready to be served in the private lounge." The domestic announced before bowing and walking out.

"I'm starving!" Hector admitted to the little boy, still pressed against his left leg. The boy looked back at him expectantly and the sovereign smiled at him reassuringly. Inwardly though, the Emperor was worried; how was he supposed to make Maël understand that he was safe and sound? He was only a teen after all, perhaps he bit more than he could chew? No! He wasn't giving up on the boy or letting someone else take care of him. After all, the boy trusted the young sovereign, and there was no way he would betray that trust. He winced a little, dreading the many challenges that he would have to face educating, loving, and caring for the boy.

Hector realised too late that Victor needed his big brother's love and care, it took a suicide attempt to make him realise that he neglected his baby brother, and Hector swore that he wouldn't let anything similar happen again. Hector II was a failure as a head of state and as a head of family, Hector III sought to be much better than him.

The young boy and the teenage Emperor headed to the private lounge where they sat around a wooden coffee table by a large fireplace that had just been lit. There was a reason Hector didn't come back to the castle since Victor had been held captive. As he sat in his armchair, the young sovereign couldn't help but think about his brother. His face darkened and he sighed heavily, feeling suddenly very down. Hector still could picture his baby brother's face, smiling and laughing in this very lounge, as they played board games with unmatched bad faith.

"Are you sad?" Maël asked with a soft hesitant voice, getting Hector out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?" The Emperor mumbled, turning to the little boy that gauged him with a sorry expression. "Well, perhaps a little." He confessed with a fainthearted smile before gulping and clearing his throat, sensing he was getting too emotional.

"I am sad too." The boy admitted truthfully. Hector felt a wave of guilt washing through him. What was he supposed to say? He wished this war never happened at all, he felt that everyone was losing so much. He wondered how he was supposed to rebuild national cohesion after all that pain and suffering they all went through.

Before he could even think about something to say, domestics walked in and lunch was being served. At least, they both enjoyed an amazing meal. For a moment, both of them forgot all their problems and simply relished on the amazing food they were eating.

After lunch, Hector carried the boy in his bedroom and tucked him in for a nap. The sovereign then headed to his study where he took care of reviewing important papers provided by the government. He spent several hours, relentlessly working, before a guard walked in his study.

"Your Majesty." He said, bowing. "Professor Farah has arrived." He announced to him.

"Hmm. Send him here." Hector replied absentmindedly, still reading his documents.

"Your Majesty." The professor said as he walked in, before bowing exaggeratedly.

"Do sit, professor." The sovereign instructed, still not looking up from his documents. The professor obliged and waited several minutes, nervously, before the Emperor eventually gently tossed the file on the desk and looked back at him. "So, as you probably already know I need a preceptor." He eventually declared, going straight to the point.

"Yes, for the young Duke of Bonifacio, is that so?" The professor inquired timidly.

"Correct." Hector confirmed with a serious expression. He was scrutinizing the professor, gauging his reactions and behaviours. "You have been retired for a year from public service, why do you want to keep working?" The Emperor questioned with a neutral tone.

"Well, uh... I love my job. It is incredibly rewarding to teach. Guiding and instructing a growing human being is a fascinating, challenging, and thrilling experience." The professor answered with self-assurance.

"Hmm. Maël is a delicate boy, and he's been through a lot, I'm sure it won't be easy." Hector warned with a stern defiant look.

"Certainly, Your Majesty." The professor concurred. "I can assure you that I'll do my very best. Patience and stability are what a boy his age mostly needs." He then declared.

"If you say so." Hector simply replied. The young sovereign stood up and the professor imitated him promptly. "Follow me, I'll introduce you to your new student." The Emperor instructed before walking out of the study and heading to the boy's bedroom.

Hector gently knocked and opened the door. Maël was cross-legged on the floor, playing with his toys on the carpet and obviously caught in an intense fictional battle between two of his toys. Hector immediately smiled broadly, catching the sight of a truly happy kid, innocently playing as any 6-years-old would. The boy turned and immediately lost his smile when he noticed the teenage sovereign was accompanied with an old man he hadn't met before.

"Come here, Maël." Hector asked the boy with a soft tone. The boy stood up and ran to the young sovereign, wrapping his arms around Hector's waist and timidly looking at the professor. The Emperor caressed the boy's hair and slightly turned to face the professor. "I want you to say hello to Mister Farah here. He will be your professor from now on." He explained with a faint smile.

"Why can't I go back to school?" Maël shyly asked. Hector shot a nervous glance at the professor and sighed. He broke the embrace with the boy and squatted to look at the boy in the eye.

"I'm afraid that's not possible any longer, Maël." Hector replied softly with a sorry expression. "You know who I am, right?" He asked the boy. Maël glazed at him confusedly, unsure what the question meant. "I am the Emperor; do you know what that means?" Hector insisted.

"It means you're the boss of everyone?" The boy tentatively answered. The young sovereign giggled and even the professor smiled.

"Well, that's one way to put it, yes." The Emperor confirmed, still laughing. "Uh... anyway," He said, regaining his seriousness. "Some people... uh... some people don't really like me, as their boss." Hector clumsily explained, unsure how he was supposed to explain to a 6-years-old that he was basically a sitting duck for terrorists and lunatics. "Which means that they are not very nice to me. And they might not be very nice to you." The teen concluded. Maël looked down defeatedly and sighed.

"Okay." The boy simply answered, visibly confused and heartbroken that people would want to hurt him.

"Will you say hello to your professor?" The Emperor gently encouraged Maël as he straightened up. The professor offered the boy his hand to shake and Maël timidly accepted. Hector smiled, saying that the kid was endearing would be a serious understatement. "I was about to do some horse riding around the estate, would you like to join? Unless you want to keep playing with your toys of course." The young sovereign told Maël.

"No! No! I want to come with you!" Maël impulsively exclaimed, triggering some laughter from both the Emperor and the professor.

"Get dressed then! It's cold outside!" Hector warned with a wide smile.

Maël rushed to grab a coat and put some boots on. He then stood in front of the young sovereign with an expecting enthusiast smile, waiting to see the horses. Hector chuckled and lifted the boy in his arms. Maël wrapped his arms around Hector's neck and smiled blissfully.

"Can you start tomorrow?" The Emperor asked the professor.

"Naturally, Your Majesty." The professor confirmed as they walked out of the bedroom together.

"Excellent, I'll see you tomorrow then." Hector said, dismissing the newly hired preceptor.

"Your Majesty." The preceptor bowed before taking his leave.

Hector carried Maël to the stable and the boy was completely ecstatic. The young boy was obviously not used to being around horses and Hector had to settle some important safety rules after the boy barely ran just behind one of the horses, almost triggering a very dangerous incident.

"Pierre, get the two-seater saddle for my horse." Hector instructed the stable boy that promptly bowed and rushed inside of the stable.

Hector smiled broadly as his horse was equipped with the two-seater saddle. It felt like a lifetime since he rode his horse with Victor on one of these. The emotions were about to overwhelm him so, to avoid it, he distracted himself and helped the stable boy adjust the saddle. Maël giggled frantically as the young Emperor lifted him in the air and fastened him on the horse before jumping behind the boy on the horse.

"Don't forget that I'm right behind you. You are safe, you can trust me, and the horse." The Emperor assured the boy that didn't feel any nervousness so far, even though Hector knew it would soon change when the horse would gallop.

The Corsican mountains were absolutely breath-taking. Hector III rode at full speed on the land he reigned upon, finally evacuating the accumulated frustration and anger in a long overdue moment of relief. The young boy was a real trooper and didn't flinch even though he was really nervous when the horse was galloping at full speed.

Eventually what was bound to happen happened, Hector was overwhelmed by the feelings he repressed for so long and began crying like a baby. He stopped the horse and, in a full meltdown the young Emperor, crushed by the responsibilities of the Crown, truly lost it. For the first time since he was crowned, he lost his composure. He wasn't a head of state anymore, but a mere teenager that lost his mother, father, and brother, and was left without a single person to guide, love, and care for him.

Maël tried to turn on his saddle to hug the young sovereign, understanding that there wasn't much he could do, or say. The Emperor wrapped his arms around the boy and hugged him tightly from behind, kissing the boy's hair while he kept crying. Maël caressed the sovereign's arms and leaned back on Hector's chest.

Eventually, after several minutes, Hector stopped crying and sighed heavily, feeling incredibly relieved. The weight of pain and sorrow had been partially lifted from his shoulders and he slowly regained his composure.

"I'm sorry little guy." He eventually apologised to the young boy in front of him, ruffling his hair. "I'm alright, I swear." He lied reassuringly. Despite what Hector thought, Maël wasn't particularly distressed, for the boy had been in the same situation on several occasions over the past ten days. Actually, Maël was glad Hector had cried in front of him, because it made the boy feel much better about his own sadness and sorrow. The boy turned his head and smiled at the sovereign, who smiled back at him tenderly. "Let's go back to the castle, before they send someone to fetch for us." Hector said with a chuckle. Maël nodded, he was feeling kind of hungry and wouldn't mind a snack.

The next day, Hector woke up early after a sound and restful sleep. The mountains were always having this immensely relaxing effect on him. The young sovereign took a nice relaxing bath and rang his valet after drying himself off. The valet helped the Emperor in getting dressed, and Hector then headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Hey there!" He greeted Maël who was already eating his breakfast in the dining room.

"Good morning, Your Majesty." The footman said, bowing. "Would you like some tea?"

"Coffee, please." Hector asked, filling a generous amount of food in his fine porcelain plate. "Are you excited for your lesson with the preceptor?" the teenage sovereign inquired with a smile, speaking to Maël. The boy shrugged unenthusiastically, and Hector chuckled.

When he was a kid, all Hector wanted to do was to spend his day outdoors and play, doing sport, meeting with friends. It took a long time for him to understand why his friends were allowed to do normal things, and why he wasn't. The young Emperor still felt that his education was unnecessarily tough and borderline abusive.

"The preceptor has arrived, Your Majesty." The footman announced a few minutes later.

"Uh. Looks like your day has started." He told the boy, raising his eyebrows. Maël gave him a pleading glance and the young Emperor shook his head disapprovingly, grinning at the boy mischievously. "Come on! Off you go!" He insisted playfully, amused at the boy's reluctance. Maël eventually complied and dragged his feet out of the dining room.

Hector headed to his study, where he worked on governmental documents for the following hours. It was a lovely day, and Hector thought about having lunch outside with Maël when, suddenly, a guard knocked at the door and walked in.

"The Prime Minister is here, Your Majesty." The guard announced. Hector frowned, a surprise visit from the Prime Minister was rather unusual.

"Oh, well... I'll receive her here then." Hector replied, sounding rather confused. The young Emperor tidied up his desk and straightened up in his chair. Several minutes later, the head of Government walked in the study and Hector stood up.

"Your Majesty." She said, bowing. "Thank you for receiving me."

"Prime Minister. Do sit down." He invited her politely. "Is everything alright?" He inquired, slightly worried.

"Well, saying everything is alright in the midst of a civil war would perhaps be a bit optimistic." She retorted while sitting. "But nothing tragic happened, if that's what you're asking." She clarified.

"Good!" Hector exclaimed with obvious relief. "You don't mind if I..." He began before being interrupted by Maël walking into the room. The boy was walking to the young Emperor before catching the sight of the Prime Minister and freezing. "Maël! What have I told you about walking in my study uninvited!" Hector scolded as the boy climbed onto his lap unabashedly.

"But it was in the palace!" The boy protested with obvious bad faith. Hector sighed and the boy opened his arms to hug the young sovereign. The Prime Minister looked at the scene in front of her, obviously unsettled and even slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, same goes with here!" Hector specified with a serious tone, but still returning the hug. He kissed the top of Maël's hair and patted the boy's back. "I need to have a grown-up conversation now, I'll join you in a bit, okay?" He added softly. The boy didn't react and kept hugging the Emperor. "Maël!" Hector insisted with a more serious tone. Reluctantly, the 6-years-old broke the embrace and slipped from the sovereign's lap to the floor. With a sad pout he rushed outside of the study, without even greeting the dumbfounded Prime Minister on his way out. "Sorry about that." Hector apologised with a sigh.

"Uh... that's ok, I... uh..." She stuttered, regaining her composure. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you, about the young Duke." The Prime Minister began with a serious tone.

"Yes? What about him?" Hector shot back defensively.

"We found several possible families to welcome him." She announced, opening her purse, and getting some documents out.

"A family? Whatever for?" Hector asked, puzzled. "It was your idea that we kept him away from his family, so he could be raised in an environment loyal to the Crown." He pointed out with a hint of irritation.

"Yes, well... I didn't mean you personally, obviously." She answered, struggling to grasp the misunderstanding fully. Hector stayed silent for a few seconds, a million thoughts crossing his mind at the same time.

"The boy is staying with me." Hector eventually decreed with a tone that didn't invite contradiction.

"I see." The Prime Minister simply answered with a twinge of worry. "In what quality, may I ask?" She inquired.

"As a matter of fact, I was already preparing a new official status for him within the Imperial Household." The Emperor announced. The Prime Minister frowned and sighed; she didn't like where this whole story was going at all.

"You're thinking about... adoption?" She hesitantly asked, dreading the answer.

"Adoption? No!" Hector promptly answered, sounding surprised. "He is already 6! And he's got living and breathing parents, and family for that matter." He enumerated, triggering a sigh of relief from the head of Government. "Besides, the situation would probably be slightly different if I already had an heir of my own, but Maël can't be the heir to the throne." He concluded thoughtfully.

"I agree, Your Majesty. I am glad we are on the same page." The Prime Minister concurred.

"Good." Hector smiled, relieved that the government wouldn't pressure him into letting Maël being placed into a foster home. "So, what brings you here." The Emperor inquired.

"Your jubilee parade, Your Majesty." She replied. "Amongst other things."

"My jubilee parade?" Hector repeated, raising his eyebrow in surprise. "I thought the idea was to avoid public appearances." He pointed out.

"Yes, indeed." She confirmed. "But I think it would be a terrible mistake to cancel the parade, it would appear as if we given in to fear."

"Fair enough. I don't have any problem with that." Hector quickly accepted.

Hector and the Prime Minister discussed the details of the jubilee day for a long time. They then evoked the impending Imperial troops landing in northern Italy. The Prime Minister seemed quite confident that the Rebellion was about to be swiped away in a matter of weeks. Hector and the head of Government were about to leave the office for lunch when the Prime Minister halted the sovereign.

"Your Majesty, one last thing." She said, sounding suddenly a little uncomfortable.

"Yes?" Hector said, encouraging her to spit it out.

"It's uh... We have received a report, disclosed by the Saudi Califate, about His Imperial Highness Prince Victor's 18

birthday." She began hesitantly. "You might read things that could... distress you." She eventually said evasively.

"What? How?" Hector immediately asked, feeling his heart sinking.

"It is my understanding that the Rebels tried to convince Prince Victor to sign a treaty, as Emperor of Corsica." She explained. "He apparently refused. It would seem that, following his refusal, he was... hurt."

"Hurt?" Hector repeated, sitting in his chair as his legs threatened to let go.

"Yes. According to our information, Prince Victor is fine now. But he was choked, to the point of passing out." She eventually confessed. Hector closed his eyes; his heart was beating fast. He felt powerless in the very thing that mattered the most to him, protecting his brother. "The Earl of Ulmetu was, according to the information we were given, the one who assaulted the prince."

"He's dead meat!" Hector mumbled in his grinded teeth.

"I wouldn't have said it better myself, Your Majesty." She answered with a smirk. "I think we can applaud His Imperial Highness' loyalty though." She pointed out.

"I have no use of a dead loyal brother." Hector shot back with an irritated tone. The Emperor would have much rather have his brother sign the treaty if it meant that Victor didn't end up being hurt.

"Soon the war will be over and won!" The Prime Minister declared reassuringly. Hector sighed heavily and stood up.

He was starving, and Maël must have been very impatiently waiting for him to finish his meeting with the head of Government.

Hadrien Ciabrini couldn't sleep, he simply had too much on his mind. Lying by his side, the handsome young Prince Victor, lightly snoring. Two days earlier, they had left Jerash in a hurry for the city of Ma'an.

The Saudi Califate had officially declared war on the Rebellion after an agreement was reached with the Imperial Government. Now, a Saudi army was attempting to invade the Syrian-Judean territory that was under Hadrien's control. Or, as the Saudi described it, to "liberate the Corsican territory from an illegitimate faction and end the terrorist's tyranny over middle east."

Hadrien had absolutely no doubt that an Imperial landing was scheduled soon. He knew the Corsican Government would have a hard time trusting the Saudi Califate to restore the entirety of the conquered territories to them. From the general's perspective though, the Saudi didn't stand a single chance against Corsica, as the odds were clearly against them. But Hadrien didn't necessarily think highly of the Saudi elites, and he figured out that the Imperial Government would do his very best to limit Saudi's boldness and temptation to annex at least part of the territories they would "liberate".

The general knew it would take a miracle for him to hold their position once the Imperial landing happened. But he might have a shot at stopping the Saudi now.

For Hadrien though, there was much more to defend than a mere strategic position. Since the annihilation of the Rebel fleet, combined with his decision to make his relationship with Prince Victor official, his popularity amongst his officers had vanished into thin air. The wind of revolt was blowing over the General Staff in Jerash, and Hadrien knew most of his officers were only waiting for the slightest little mistake from him to trigger a full-scale mutiny.

Hadrien was a soldier, cowardice wasn't necessarily part of his DNA. For once though, he had someone else but himself to be worried about. What would happen to Victor if Hadrien was thrown in a cell by his officers, or worse? The most likely scenario would be that they would jump on the opportunity to negotiate with the Empire, using Victor as an asset in the peace talks. But what if they didn't? Hadrien couldn't quite chase these dark thoughts from his mind. He knew all too well how war turned rational men into cruel beasts.

That's the reason why Prince Victor accompanied the general to the siege of Ma'an, because Hadrien didn't trust his officers enough to let the prince into their care. Hadrien had to secure his position, failing wasn't an option for him. He simply had to repel the Saudi assaults. The problem was that the Saudi clearly outnumbered them; 5 to 1, to be precise.

The general established his headquarters in the former Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, a few kilometres north from the city of Ma'an. Hadrien was planning on using his two sole advantages in the battle. The first advantage being that the Saudis probably ignored they would be expected by the majority of Hadrien's forces in the region, they planned on using the element of surprise, ignoring that the Rebels had been warned of their impending attack. The second advantage being the professionalism of the Rebel army. Indeed, Hadrien noticed, during the Judean campaign he led along with the Califate, that the Saudi troops were undertrained. The Califate's chiefs of staff were composed of members of the royal family and eminent aristocrats, men of high rank and great influence, but mediocre military leaders.

Getting out of his thoughts, the general turned his head and looked at the sleeping prince. Victor was lying on his stomach, his exposed bubble butt slightly moving up and down with the prince's breathing. It was quite the sight, Hadrien thought, and certainly worth the trouble he's been through to officialise his relationship with the boy. Hadrien leaned and kissed the sleeping teen on the top of his head. Victor stirred and slightly woke up. The prince moaned as the general browsed his hands on his shoulder and his upper back, caressing his naked skin.

"You're not sleeping?" Victor mumbled with a hoarse voice. Hadrien shook his head with a faint smile, silently communicating his state of apprehension. Victor looked back at him and straightened up slightly, resting his head on his crossed arms. "You smell so good!" The prince pointed out with a smirk.

"Pff, I stink! I haven't showered since this morning!" Hadrien chuckled.

"Yes, that's what I meant." Victor answered cheekily, grinning at the general as he crawled between Hadrien's legs, sniffing the general's crotch with a lustful expression. "I'm horny." The prince declared before kissing his lover's semi erected cock that twitched in response.

"You're always horny! You're a teenage slut!" Hadrien shot back playfully, getting aroused.

"Am I?" Victor teased, opening his mouth and engulfing Hadrien's cockhead.

"Fuck!" The general moaned as Victor was lapping his urethra and suctioning air from his mouth, applying intense pleasure to Hadrien's cock. "Yeah, yeah you are!" He confirmed while the prince was starting his passionate blowjob.

Victor took the shaft in his hand and jerked it slowly as he took the upper part of Hadrien's cock in his mouth. With his free hand, he fondled the massive heavy ball sack and gently rolled the balls between his fingers one by one. Victor was heavily breathing, absorbing as much of Hadrien's scent as he could. The prince was crazy with lust whenever he could smell the familiar musk of his lover and captor.

Hadrien grabbed a fistful of Victor's hair and pressed the boy's head further against his crotch, forcing the teenager to accept his massive cock further in the prince's throat. The stressful situation Hadrien was in slightly changed him. The general had always been an impulsive, short tempered man, and he needed a way to vent his anger. Sex was the obvious solution for Hadrien.

The changes had been discreet at first, Hadrien was simply slightly more aggressive during sex, hate-pounding the teen's hole. Hadrien had a surge of stamina and libido, he was constantly horny, and could last much longer. Victor wasn't complaining though, the general's aggressivity and masculinity fascinated him.

Hadrien face-fucked Victor, his semi closed eyes rolled back, grunting animalistically, as the prince struggled to cope with the ferocious pounding his throat received. The prince looked up at the general and stared at him submissively, reverently accepting the rough treatment he (not so secretly) craved.

Hadrien yanked Victor off his rock-hard cock and pushed the prince on his back. In a swift move, the general climbed on top of the prince and gripped the teen's wrists, pinning them on the mattress. Victor moaned and softly bit his lips in anticipation, for he knew what was coming. Hadrien leaned on his prey, and lustfully kissed the prince's purple lips while he parted the boy's legs with his muscled legs. The general aimed his throbbing cock at the teen's hole and pressed the spit-coated tip of his dick against the tight pucker.

Victor winced as Hadrien penetrated him in a single violent thrust, almost dry fucking him. The teenage prince didn't get any time to accommodate the general's girth. Hadrien started pounding his ass like a madman, grunting and looking down at his captive. Hadrien loved Victor, and at the same time he hated him. The prince that caused him so much trouble, the prince that stripped him of his self-control and rationality. He used both his love and hatred to fuck the prince's brain out. The prince's pain, never truly disappearing, slowly attenuated and was overshadowed by his orgasmic pleasure.

"You like that, faggot?" Hadrien sneered, noticing the building pleasure in his partner's face.

"Mmh!" The prince confirmed, moaning his approval to the treatment he was subjected to.

"You fucking whore!" Hadrien grunted as he was roughly pounding the boy's ass. The bed was loudly squeaking as the general's body was thrusting up and down, pinning Victor's against the mattress. Hadrien's massive balls were slapping the prince's smooth skin, almost to the point of causing pain, but Hadrien couldn't care less. The general was in an orgasmic trance. He was looking down at the teenage prince, the boy's face twisted in pain as high pitched moans escaped his mouth. The boy's blond curls were bouncing up and down in synchronisation with Hadrien's assaults on Victor's ass.

Suddenly, Hadrien pulled out and straddled Victor's chest. He furiously jerked his cock over the prince's face as the boy opened his mouth expectantly.

"You're thirsty faggot?" Hadrien lustfully mocked. "You want your man's load all over your pretty face?"

"Yes, please." Victor confirmed with a boyish voice that contrasted with the depravity of what he was asking for. Hadrien moaned loudly as his cock erupted in a huge orgasm. Ropes of cum were flying and landing over Victor's face, some in his mouth, but most missing their target and coating his nose, cheeks, eyes and forehead with heavy white cum.

"Fuck!" The general grunted as he looked down at the prince's face. "Suck it clean." He commanded, pointing at his cock. Victor obliged and leaned to take Hadrien's cock back in his mouth. The teen dutifully sucked and licked the fat and slowly deflating cock. He then buried his nose in the heavy ball sack sniffing and licking it as the heavy general's cock was now resting on the teen's face.

Victor spent several long minutes relishing on the manly scent emanating from his lover's balls, but Hadrien had something else in mind. Still straddling over the prince, he moved forwards as he guided the boy's face between his muscled butt cheeks. The prince immediately understood what Hadrien was after and he parted the cheeks with his hand, revealing the slightly hairy ass crack and pink hole.

The boy eagerly rimmed the general's ass. Hadrien loved to debase and sexually humiliate his partner, showing his dominance, and Victor loved to demonstrate his own submissiveness. As a matter of fact, Victor was on cloud nine as he plunged his tongue deep in Hadrien's tight virgin hole. The boy's hand quickly found the way of his own cock, jerking it furiously. The prince ate the general's ass like a lunatic as he wanked. As his tongue was busy fucking the virgin hole, his nose sniffed deeply. Victor was crazy about his lover's body odours, and nothing could have turned him more. It was all so nasty, so forbidden and far from his uptight education, he loved it.

After only a few minutes of this treatment, the prince was on the edge of cuming. As his muffled moans betrayed his impending orgasm, the general rubbed his whole ass crack, up to his taint, against the teen's face. This finished sending Victor over the edge and the prince ejaculated in a mighty and loud orgasm.

Hadrien straightened up and jumped out of the bed. The general then grabbed Victor's arm and pulled him out of the bed.

"It's time for a shower, little whore." He whispered seducingly in the prince's ear with a shit eating smirk on his face.

Once in the shower, Hadrien pushed the prince against the wall and fucked him one more time. Hadrien was insatiable, and the attraction he felt towards the boy wasn't fading a single bit. The general power fucked the teen to exhaustion. Prince Victor wasn't complaining though, he was an eager outlet for his partner's anger. Not only the boy discovered, since he's been captive, that he had an incredibly high libido, Victor was also a very smart teen. The boy knew, even though Hadrien didn't communicate at all, that the general was very worried and nervous. Victor was worried too, but not for himself, he feared what would happen to Hadrien. Victor thought he could somehow manage to convince his brother, the emperor, to pardon the general. But that itself would prove challenging, and a lot could happen before that. The prince noticed how resentful some top officers have become towards Hadrien, and he too feared their betrayal.

Therefore, the prince had been especially affectionate towards Hadrien. He did his best to put his own fears, and general negative emotions, on the side. Victor focused solely on making the general's life as pleasant and easy as the teen possibly could. Of course, there wasn't much he could do about politics, or military strategy, or even the general staff's disgruntlement. So, Victor focused on being the best living sextoy one could be.

As Hadrien thrusted one final time his rock-hard cock inside of the prince's stretched hole, Victor sighed of pleasure, feeling his partner's dick twitching inside of him against his prostate. As the steaming hot water kept pouring over them both, the general pulled out of the battered hole. A drop of cum dripped from the boy's gaping hole and fell on the tiled shower floor. Victor fell on his knees and, once more, cleaned his lover's cock with his mouth, submissively staring at the general's eyes as he engulfed his cock.

Hadrien browsed Victor's damp hair with his hand and stared back tenderly at the kneeling prince. He winked at the boy and pulled his cock out of the teen's mouth. Hadrien stepped out of the shower and dried himself with a towel as the prince was getting back on his feet.

"I better start my day. I won't be able to sleep anyway." Hadrien sighed fatefully.

"But... it's not even 4am." Victor pointed out worriedly. The general looked back at him with a sorry expression.

"I know." He simply answered. The prince sighed and pulled Hadrien for a hug. The boy kissed the general while he wrapped his arms around the muscled torso of his lover.

"They don't stand a chance against you Hadrien." Victor predicted with a faint smile. Hadrien chuckled nervously, thinking that it was himself that didn't stand a chance, and kissed Victor back. He then broke the embrace and walked away.

Since they arrived in Ma'an and established their headquarters in the former University, they abandoned most of the protocols they followed in Jerash and Jerusalem. Ma'an was a battlefront, not a residential palace, there was no room for unnecessary personnel. The general was attended by a single military assistant, and the prince by two domestics in addition to Lieutenant Timond.

The general never liked the infantilizing reality of being attended by several domestics, the way he had ever since he was born. Hadrien wanted to get rid of the pretentious protocol, but for a noble of his rank, and a general furthermore, this would have been considered as inappropriate. So, he welcomed the moments such as these, during which he could take care of himself. Actually, the realness of war, its roughness and harsh truth, were part of why Hadrien liked being a soldier.

The general got dressed in his military uniform, and walked out of the bedroom, making his way to the operation command room.

"Sir." The operating officers almost jumped from their chairs when the general walked in the room.

"At ease." Hadrien nonchalantly said, heading to the large strategic map in the centre of the command room. "Is the evacuation complete?" He inquired while scrutinizing the map in front of him.

"Yes, Sir." The officer confirmed. "The last civilian convoy left the city three hours ago. We are expecting the return of our logistic trucks any time now."

"What about Major Graziani?" Hadrien questioned.

"Major Graziani's unit is here." The officer said, pointing at a specific location on the map. "They are fully dispatched now, and they are waiting for the last Saudi artillery units to be in the course of crossing the bridge. Then, they will launch their assault and ambush the artillery units and destroy the bridge." The officer explained.

"And then we will be ready to launch our full-scale surprise assault." The general concluded.

"Yes, Sir." The officer confirmed.

Major Graziani was quietly hiding with his unit split in half, one was hid by the west banks of the river, and the other by the east banks. The unit was dispatched by a bridge the Saudi forces were currently crossing. The major could very distinctly hear the roars of the heavy machinery and the footsteps of boots. The major knew, soon this roar would be silenced by the unmistakable sound of war. Firing guns, screaming and shouting soldiers, exploding bombshells, wounded and crying men. Yes, the major knew how war sounded, he knew only too well. He shot one last glance at his men, all quietly waiting for a signal from their commander to risk their lives. None of them deserved to die, according to the major, but he knew many would, far from their homeland, far from their families and the one they loved. And for what? The war was virtually lost, and Major Graziani knew it. The soldiers knew it too.

Still, Major Graziani was a soldier, and he wouldn't run from a fight. Patiently, the major waited for the Saudi units to be in the exact position he needed before launching his assault. He was waiting for the optimum opportunity, and it was just about to happen.

Suddenly, the Saudi artillery unit was in the perfect position. Well, the Saudis would perhaps disagree, but for the Rebels, it was the window of opportunity they were expecting. Major Graziani quickly turned to his soldiers and gave the signal. A military engineer pushed a lever and for a microsecond, there was silence. Then, the bridge that some of the Saudi men and material were crossing exploded in three mighty and blazing booms.

From that moment on, everything happened in the blink of an eye. The Saudis were completely shocked and caught off guard. Using this surprise to their advantage, the Rebels launched two simultaneous assaults from the east and west of the bridge. The Saudis were totally unprepared, but they quickly realised they had to defend themselves and counterattack if they wanted to survive. Soon, shots could be heard coming from both armies.

For Hadrien, Major Graziani's assault was the starting point of his own full scale surprise attack on the Saudi forces, still not properly dispatched to attack the city of Ma'an. With an apparent confidence that was mostly acted, he gave his green light for the plan he carefully prepared to unfold. He hated the Saudis, he wanted them to pay the highest price, and he put all his passion and desire of vengeance in his plan. The Saudis wanted to betray and stab the rebellion in the back? Well, they wouldn't go down without putting up a great fight!

Major Graziani was shouting commands as his assault on the artillery unit progressed. His soldiers were doing remarkably well, and the Saudis were completely overwhelmed. The major was proud of his men (and women), they were a prime example of Corsican discipline, honour, and resilience. As he was about to give his final instruction for the last stage of their successful assault, the major felt a deep heat radiating through his body from his chest. The soldier next to him widened his eyes and shouted something, but the major couldn't understand it. He fell on his knees, and then collapsed to the ground. It was too late; Major Graziani was gone.

Victor couldn't sleep. The unmistakable sound of war echoed in the former University. The battle had begun, and the prince was a nervous wreck. He knew that the issue of this day would seal his destiny, and the destiny of the man he loved. The prince grabbed a book and tried to divert himself from the uproar outside of his bedroom. He was far too nervous to fully focus on his reading, but it gave him something to do at the very least. It didn't last though.

Hours kept passing, and Victor was left to his own devices in his bedroom. The whole day passed and no one came. When Hadrien walked in the bedroom, it was past 1am. He was visibly exhausted and, without even taking a shower, collapsed on the bed without even acknowledging the prince. Victor could only imagine how exhausting his day must have been, but he was still very frustrated to be ignored and left without being even remotely explained what the hell was going on. Within barely a minute, the general was snoring. Victor sighed with exasperation and reluctantly decided to accept his fate for the night. He cuddled against the sleeping general and fell asleep against his lover.

The following morning, the general was awakened in the very early morning by a military officer that had come to their bedroom to get Hadrien. Victor incidentally woke up only to notice that Hadrien was quickly getting dressed and left without even saying goodbye.

A week unfolded in pretty much the same fashion. Hadrien would sometimes grumble a few words to the prince before sleeping, or after waking up, but he was evasive and distant. The prince would chat with his domestics when they served him lunch or dinner, but apart from that, he stayed alone.

After a week, the prince could very distinctly notice that the shots were far closer than initially. Eventually, the bombs were so close that the building was slightly shaking every time a bomb exploded. The battlefield was getting dangerously closer.

Ten days after the battle had begun, Lieutenant Timond barged in the prince bedroom and instructed him to get ready for an impending evacuation. The prince complied worriedly and waited for several hours in his room, luggage packed and ready to go.

Suddenly, his bedroom door slammed open, the general walked in, looking like a madman. Victor braced himself for terrible news and gulped.

"We won!" Hadrien announced with a hoarse voice. The prince gasped and stood up, thunderstruck. He then ran to the general and jumped in his arms. Hadrien erupted in a genuine laugh, releasing the tension he accumulated in the ten past days. The two lovers held each other in the arms for quite some time, laughing and smiling. Hadrien then broke the embrace and looked at the prince with a shit eating smirk.

The general quickly unbuttoned his military vest and tossed it on the floor neglectingly. Victor knew what Hadrien wanted, and he wanted just the same. Victor was going to be Hadrien's victory prize. The boy dropped on his knees in front of the general and quickly unbuckled him before getting his chubbing up cock out of his khaki trousers.

Victor had always loved Hadrien's manly scent, and god knows that day he was more than slightly ripe. The general oozed pure masculinity, power, and victory. The teen didn't even need to bury his nose against the general's crotch, he could very clearly smell it from where he was, and he relished on it. He opened his mouth wide and stuck his tongue out, staring at Hadrien in the dead of the eye, displaying his submissiveness. Hadrien grabbed his cock and tapped it on the boy whore's tongue in a succession of loud smacks. He then grabbed his slut's hair and buried his cock deep inside of the teen's throat.

Hadrien was in command, as it should be, he thought. The whore was his, and his only, and nothing could change that. He felt a surge of power as he face-fucked the poor slut relentlessly. Fuck, it felt good to be the boss, he thought.

"Open wide, faggot!" Hadrien commanded as the boy gagged a little. "Good whore." He said, slapping the boy face. He was in no mood to be gentle; he was going to use the fag as he pleased. Victor looked back at the general with teary eyes, because of the rough deepthroat blowjob he was giving him, but couldn't be happier. The prince was completely turned on by Hadrien's aggressiveness.

After several minutes of this treatment, Hadrien yanked the boy off his cock. His rock-hard cock was covered in a large amount of spit that had even coated his heavy ball sack. The prince knew what was expected of him. He didn't even bother to get on the bed and offered his ass right on the floor. He presented his tight pink hole in a doggy style position, resting his head on the floor, against his crossed arms, arching his back.

"Fuck, you're such a good whore, aren't you baby?" Hadrien asked rhetorically. He kneeled behind the whore and aimed his cock at the expecting hole. In one single thrust, he penetrated the boy, getting a yelp of pain from him. Hadrien grabbed the slut's hips and brutally fucked him, slapping his heavy balls with each thrust. Victor loudly moaned, both from pain and pleasure, as he endured the relentless pounding of his poor tight ass.

Hadrien grabbed the boy's hair and roughly pulled them, forcing the boy to straighten up and kneel. He kept pounding his ass, as his hand encircled the boy's throat and tightened his grip, not cutting off his air supply, but incommoding him.

"You missed me baby?" Hadrien sneered.

"Yes, Sir." Victor whimpered in a high pitch voice.

"Fucking right you did, you cock-craving fag!" Hadrien grunted. Then, his whole body tensed, and he moaned so loud it sounded as if he was shouting. His cock pulsed and he sent ropes after ropes of cum inside the boy's tight hole. ***

Hector III of Corsica was waving at an impressive crowd gathered on the avenues of the capital to see their Emperor. It was Jubilee Day, and the Empire was celebrating the 2

anniversary of the young Emperor's coronation. Hector, dressed in a spotless imperial uniform, was cheered by an ecstatic and surprisingly large number of people. The young sovereign didn't fully realise it, but he was incredibly popular.

Escorting the sovereign's car, 30,000 men and women wearing the Imperial military uniform, carrying their assault rifles and proudly marching in perfect synchronization.

"It's impressive, considering none of them are soldiers." The Emperor whispered at the Prime Minister, sitting by his side in the car. She smirked knowingly back at him and they both turned their eyes back on the `troops' parading on the large avenue in front of them.

Indeed, most of the men and women wearing the imperial uniform and parading in the streets of the capital weren't actually soldiers. This impressive display of military force in the heart of Corsica was supposed to let the rebels think that the Imperial Troops hadn't been dispatched overseas yet.

Truth was, if the 30,000 thousand soldiers parading in the streets were no soldiers at all, and their guns were fake, It was to hide the fact that the real soldiers were already aboard warships and were about to land the next day in northern Italy. Hector smiled to himself, hardly believing the rebels could be so easily fooled, but he still had something important to do.

After the parade was finished, the young sovereign returned to the Imperial palace. Keeping his impeccable uniform, he headed to the large throne room. Hector shot a quick glance at his audience: members of Government, members of parliament, nobility, high ranked military officers. All of them important, brilliant, and powerful people, but he was the Emperor. As important as they all thought they were, they all bowed to him as he walked in the room. He felt empowered as much as he was intimidated. Confidently, the Emperor stood right in front of his throne, turning his back to it. His audience was dead silent, staring at him expectantly. The Emperor was handed a sheet of paper on which his notes were written. He took a deep inspiration and looked at his audience.

"I, Hector the third of Corsica, hereby solemnly declare that Basile Paoli, Duke of Bonifacio, is disgraced. He is from now on deprived of all titles and ranks. His heirs and spouse are not to inherit any dignity or titles from him. All his properties are to be confiscated by the Crown. All their titles are to be confiscated by the Crown. Basile and Zoe Paoli are banished from owning any land on our National soil ever again." The young sovereign said with a neutral tone. He folded the paper he was holding and grabbed another paper in his hands.

"I, Hector the third of Corsica, hereby solemnly declare that Maël Paoli, son of Basile and Zoe Paoli, will now be known as His Imperial Highness, Prince Maël of Corsica, member of the Imperial Household and placed into my personal care." Hector added before browsing the throne room with his eyes. He could read confusion and puzzlement on the faces looking back at him, but he didn't care. He felt much better now that he officialised Maël's role within the Imperial family. Hector would be his guardian and tutor, but Maël wasn't going to be his adopted son, nor an heir to the throne.

The young sovereign then walked out of the throne room and headed directly to Maël's bedroom. He gently knocked at the door and walked in. The little boy was playing with his toys. It must have been a long day for him, as he didn't attend the jubilee celebrations. Hector could see on the boy's face that he was very happy that the young sovereign was finally back and available to spend time with him.

"Are you ready to go back to the castle?" Hector asked the boy whose face brightened right away.