Chapter V

Chapter V

“Hey, hey; take it easy.” Leon coos, cupping Lana’s cheek as she begins to come to her senses. After her fall from the horse, he imagined she wouldn't be waking up till morning, though he was mistaken. “I don’t know what the hell you did back there, milady, but you saved our asses.”

“L-Leo?” Lana murmured, furrowing her brows. She blinked several times to regain her vision. Her eyes widened when they settled on him, shooting upright and grabbing his face in her hands. “Oh my god, you’re in terrible... you look awful.”

“You really do have a way with words.” He chuckled.

“I think, I could--”

“No. You’re in no state to be using whatever magical shit you have. Now come on, get on my back.”

“No way! You’re in worse shape than I am. Where’s the horse?” She glances around.
            “I don’t know. When you passed out it freaked, kicked me right off and ran. Were you controlling it?”

“No.” She sighs, getting to her feet and rubbing her head. “Where are we anyway?” She glances around the heavily forested area, brows slightly furrowed.

“The forest that lies on the border of Vindico and Diruo, obviously on the Vindico side.” He nods, grunting as he rises, his body protesting the movement.

“I like it here.” Lana muses though more to herself than him. She takes a step forward, her dark curls flowing behind her in the gentle breeze.  She runs just the tips of her fingers along the trunk of the tree nearest to her, soft emeralds taking in the scenery.

“Unfortunately we cannot stay, milady... We must be moving.”

“Right. Which way to the castle from here?” She asks and turns to look over at him, though furrows her brows when she finds a rather strange look plastered on Leon’s face. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Why?” He refused to meet her gaze.

“Leonidas.” Lana never used his full name unless she was addressing him in front of his men.

“Milady there is no doubt in my mind that our little escape sparked the war. You will be given quite startling news when we return to the castle… your role in all this may be bigger than you originally intended.”

“What’re you going on about? Did David do something to you? Did he tamper with your mind before I got to you?” She frowns, making her way toward him.

“Lana, everything you've heard... everything they say about you... Everything they said, it’s all true.”

“Oh god, here we go.” She rolls her eyes, shaking her head. “We need to start moving.”

“Lana-“

“NO, Leon. I suggest you start moving your ass and stop your tongue before I cut it out!”

“NO! YOU need to listen to ME ”

“I do not take orders—“ Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of hooves beating against the earth erupted through the entire forest.

“David’s men. We need to move, now!” He grabs her arm before she responds, pulling her through the labyrinth of a forest. “Now listen to me, whatever happens you need to continue to the castle. It is of utmost importance you hear what the Iron King and Sir William have to say.” He explains in a haste as they run through the forest, weaving between the trees.

“Look, I know you may want to choose to believe this rubbish, but this Kingdom you speak of does not exist.”

“Lana, it does.”

“Nobody has laid eyes upon it since ancient times!” She argues but trips over Leon's foot, staggering forward. She lands on Leon with a hard thud, their faces just inches apart. With a furrow of her brows, she opens her mouth to speak, but he places his hand over it, shaking his head. Lana goes to bite, but watches as he gestures his head to the clearing ahead, David’s cavalry searching through the forest.

“On my mark, you run.” He murmurs into her shoulder, handing her his sword after removing his hand from her mouth. “Any of them try to grab you or harm you, do not hesitate to kill them.”

“Wait- what about you? Why aren’t you--” She begins, a look of concern sweeping across her features but before she can get an answer he’s shoved her to the left, jumping to his feet. He ensures she’s running before turning to the men.

“Hey assholes!” His fingers curl around a stone, ensuring he has their attention. Leon throws it, holding back his laughter. “Come on you fucks, I was on your land, come get me!” He taunts with a smirk before taking off sprinting himself in the opposite direction. He hears hooves galloping behind him, and takes sharps turns to throw them off his trail. With a chuckle, he realizes he’s beginning to lose them and takes the next opportunity to pull himself up into the safety of a tree.

“Morons,” he smirks as the knights run past his temporary place of refugee, balancing carefully on the branch. He begins to head toward the direction of the Kingdom. Then he hears her scream.

“LANA?!” His entire mind is racing in panic as he leaps down, taking off sprinting in the direction he heard it from. He goes to turn but is met with a sharp pain to his head, causing him to hit the ground with a loud thud on his back. He groans, blinking to see a pair of eyes staring back at him.

“You fool.” Captain Hera of Diruo smirks before sending a devastating blow to his head, knocking him out of consciousness.

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              Sir Leonidas the Reckless. That’s what they called him. It was a fitting name; he was always the first one into a fight, and the last one out of it. He had been that way since he was a mere boy, always picking fights with the other children who were often much taller and stronger than he was. He had lost count of how many fights he had lost, but he did not regret a single one. Every punch or kick that his body received had only strengthened and shaped him into the proud knight that he was today. Yet, in a single, miscalculated day, his title, his armour, his sword and his honour had all been stripped from him. There he was, chained to the floor in the dungeon of Castle Magi, sharing the cell with the vermin that called it home. He thought back to the previous day and what he had seen, or the fragments of what he had seen. The Silver Tide mercenaries had beaten him senseless, he was certain several of his bones were broken and that he had suffered a concussion. He had successfully infiltrated Castle Magi without detection, and had seen little that surprised him. The castle grounds were similar to Vindico castle, outside the walls however, was another story entirely. He explored a massive pumpkin patch that almost felt, alive, and perhaps it was, Leon knew very little about King David’s magic or what he was capable of. He had narrowly missed detection by a pair of guards who were touring the patch, occasionally tossing out scraps of meat to the inanimate vegetables. ‘A strange practice,’ he had thought to himself, before moving on. He continued his reconnaissance of Castle Magi, searching for any sign that Lana was here, and more importantly alive, but thus far had found very little evidence to support either. He traced the walls of the castle until they ended at the edge of a massive pit. Leon had never seen a hole of such size; it must have been nearly 100 feet wide and almost 200 feet deep. He saw thousands upon thousands of slaves swinging pickaxes into the earth, and saw even more being wiped into submission by taskmasters. He adjusted his footing to get a better look of the horrors he was witnessing, but the stone he was standing on gave way, and he slide down the cliff side and landed with a thud in front of several of these taskmasters. He had barely gotten to his feet before they were upon him. He remembered very little past that point, he vaguely remembered King David threatening him, and remembered seeing an extraordinarily bright light before he was hauled onto a horse, where he passed out. He vaguely could recall occupying the forest with Lana, but anything after that was blank.

            He sighed heavily, tugging effortlessly at the chains that confined him to the small corner of the cell. It was obvious that the make shift rescue attempt by whatever the bright light was had failed. He sighed again, “Way to go Leonidas, how are you going to get yourself out of this one?”  

“Leon?” A gentle voice called from the darkness.

“Who’s there?” Leon questioned, nearly growling.

“Oh my god, Leon! You’re okay!” An all-too familiar female voice cried.

“Milady? Is that you? Are you hurt?” Leon couldn’t help but smile, overjoyed that she was still alive.

“I…I think I’m okay, certainly not as banged up as you are. I saw what those mercenaries did to you… I can’t believe King David would allow something like that to happen to a Knight.” She whispered.

“I have had worse done to me. Wait, you saw me? You came back for me?” Leon questioned, again trying to pull away from the wall.

“Yes, I managed to use my magic to fend of King David long enough for me to get you on a horse in the courtyard, and escape to the forest. He found us though, Leon.  I’m sorry I couldn’t get us out of here….” She said meekly.

“Magic? Since when—Nevermind, it is alright, I’ll figure out a way to get out of here. There hasn’t been a prison created yet that can hold Leon the Reckless!” Leon triumphantly said.

Lana let out a gentle laugh, shaking her head. “You’re such an idiot.”

Leon paused his struggling as he heard a door open from somewhere in the darkness. A faint light began to grow brighter as two figures approached the cells. Leon closed his eyes as to not be blinded by the torchlight as they turned the corner.

“Dreadfully dark down here. Captain Hera, if you wouldn’t mind...” A snide voice began. Leon recognized it, and saw the silhouette of King David standing before the cell in the torchlight. One by one, the other figure, whom Leon assumed was the famed Hera the Lioness, lit the torches, illuminating the once pitch black cell. Hera mounted the torch she carried in an empty mounting on the wall, before returning to the King’s side. 

Leon’s eyes immediately went to the adjacent cell, seeing Lana chained to the wall in a similar fashion as he was. She was clothed in filthy, brown trousers that were stained red with dried blood, while her breasts were covered in a few strips of linen, exposing her arms and her stomach to the chilly dungeon air. Leon was clad in similar garb, but was only given a pair of trousers, leaving his chest bare. Despite her wardrobe, Lana seemed to be unhurt, if not a bit shaken up. Leon breathed a sigh of relief.

Leon heard his cell door open and heavy boots approached him. “Hey! Eyes on me lover boy!” the King spat, jerking Leon’s head forward so that they were face to face.

“I am not fond of Vindican’s, but of course you probably are aware of that. I am also not fond of spies or assassins. Nor am I fond of people trespassing on my lands without an invitation. So imagine my joy when I find out that a VINDICAN SPY HAS BEEN TRESPASSING ON MY LAND!” he shrieked the last few words, spraying spit all over Leon’s face.  He retreated to the cell door, “You have seen much of Diruo. Too much... These are precious secrets, secrets that must remain as they are, secrets. However…” he paused, rubbing his chin, “I am feeling generous. A rare trait has been displayed in a savage such as yourself. You have seen the secrets of my Kingdom, as such, I think it is fair that you share some secrets of your kingdom with me. And in return for your cooperation, I will let you live and allow you to serve me as a Knight of Diruo. Additionally, I will also let this wretch,” he gestured to Lana, “live within the castle and serve me as a maid. There is no greater calling than to serve Diruo’s finest King, I can assure. So what say you, young knight? Do we have a deal?” The King questioned, crouching in front of Leon.

Leon glanced to Lana, who shook her head, her electric green eyes pleading him not to accept. Leon knew it was a trap; the King’s hatred for Vindican’s was legendary. He gave Lana a nod and turned to face the King.

“I decline.” He spoke triumphantly, before spitting in the kings face.

The King exploded with rage, whipping the spit from his face with his cloak, “MONGREL! SAVAGE! DOG! I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS!” The King yelled, drawing his sword and breaking the chains that bound Leon to the wall. Leon prepared to tackle the King, but found his limbs being grasped by thorny vines. The King drew his hand back and Leon jolted upright so that he stood face to face with the King, his arms and legs spread in an X shape across the cell.

 The King smiled maliciously at him, “YOU HAVE REJECTED MY EXTREMELY GENEROUS GIFT, INSECT! IF YOU WILL NOT COOPERATE AND TELL ME THE SECRETS AND STRATEGIES OF VINDICO, THEN WE WILL SIMPLY TEAR THE SECRETS FROM YOUR FLESH!” David howled, swinging his sword horizontally. The tip dug into Leon’s stomach, tracing a fine line of red across his well-toned abs.

Lana screamed from the other cell, “DAVID! PLEASE! I BEG YOU! DON’T HURT HIM!” Her wrists tugged at the chains.

The King paused, “DOES THIS CAUSE YOU GRIEF LITTLE ONE?! TO. SEE. YOUR. LOVER. SLICED. LIKE. BEEF!” Each word was punctuated with another swing from the sword, and another anguished cry from Leon. David stepped back, and twisted his hand causing the vines holding Leon’s limbs to tighten. The Knight screeched in agony as the vines stretched his limbs apart. David released his hold, loosening the vines and causing Leon to slump to the floor. Blood gushed from the several wounds, collecting in an ever-growing pool at David’s feet. Hera clapped, smiling brightly at the Kings performance.

“DAVID, PLEASE!” Lana pleaded, tears flowing freely down her face, “I AM BEGGING YOU! STOP! PLEASE! I’LL DO ANYTHING YOU WANT! ANYTHING! PLEASE! JUST STOP HURTING LEON!”

“Ah Leon, so that is what they called you hmm?” David spat, before delivering a swift, hard kick into Leon’s side. Leon hollered out, coughing a splatter of blood onto the floor. David continued his assault on the defenseless Leon, ignoring the pleas from the screaming Lana,

“God that bitch can scream, is she that loud in the sack, Leon?” the King taunted, earning a laugh from Hera. Leon only groaned in response, his entire body throbbing painfully. “Ah I see, you never got that far. Perhaps I was wrong about her. SHE HAS BETTER TASTE THAN  I THOUGHT.” renewing his assault on Leon’s side. Leon’s flesh darkened after every kick, first turning an ugly shade of green until finally turning a dead black. “After all, she did choose me over you, right?” He laughed sadistically.

“I WILL BE YOUR BRIDE!” Lana finally cried, unable to watch the horror anymore.

David stopped, “What was that?”

“Release him, David,” she gulped, “I will wed you, and serve you as your Queen. I will obey.”

“Oh Lana,” David smiled, approaching the bars separating the two prisoners; he snapped his fingers and the vines enveloped Leon once again. This time they gripped his stomach, and squeezed tightly. Lana gasped, and started pleading for Leon’s mercy. The Vindican noble gasped for breath under the crushing pressure of the vines.

“It’s too late for that now.” He laughed manically, stepping out from Leon’s cell to watch the knight squirm for breath beside Hera. The two of them laughed insanely at the knight’s pain, like two children burning ants with a shard of glass. David snapped his fingers again, and the knight dropped to the floor.

“So, Leon....” The king said angling his ear towards the now kneeling knight, “is there anything you wish to tell us about Vindico?”

Leon looked up and spat a logy of blood on the floor, “I’d tell ya to burn in hell, but you’d probably like it there.” He smiled a bloody grin.

“My King, if it pleases you, I would like some time with our prisoner.” Hera spoke, stepping out from behind the King.

“It would please me greatly Captain.” He snapped his fingers, and the vines once again drew Leon into an X shape.

Hera approached the helpless prisoner slowly, being careful to not step in any of the numerous blood puddles on the floor. She reached down to her belt and drew a long, wicked dagger from its sheath, twirling it in her finger seductively as she eyed Leon.

“You know, for a Vindican savage,” she rubbed her hand on his face and jerked it around, examining it from every angle, “You’re not that bad looking.” She began to examine his blood stained body, running her finger over his well-defined muscles, “my my, you are quite the specimen, aren’t you?”

“Don’t you dare touch him, you bitch!” Lana snarled from her cell.

“Oh? Is someone a little jealous?” Hera said tauntingly, approaching Lana’s cell in the same slow pace as she did before, “I don’t know how you could decline the advances of a man with such physique, do you enjoy the company of women instead of men?”

Lana growled in response.

“Don’t worry, what was it the old man called you, ‘Little Lion’, maybe you and I can play together in a little bit. The Lioness and the little cub.” Hera laughed, gesturing at Lana.

“Fuck you” Lana said defiantly.

“Tsk tsk.” She turned her attention back to Leon, “If you were Diruonian, we would be playing in a very different manner, my handsome knight.” Hera smiled, continuing to the rub his muscles.

“Your…seductive… tricks won’t work on me…filthy witch. My heart… belongs to…another.” Leon said weakly.

“Good” Hera said angrily, slashing her dagger across Leon’s arm. “Your heart belongs to another hmmm? How about we show it to her?” she whispered in his ear, before running the dagger once again across his arm. Blood poured from his wounds, painting the walls crimson. Lana closed her eyes, not able to watch the bloodshed, but still she heard his cries. “I’m not sure who the real victim is here you pathetic little man, me or you. It took every bit of strength I had to not throw up from touching your disgusting Vindican body.” She said, moving behind him to attack his previously untouched back, “It’s like a canvas, and I’m the artist!” Hera said gleefully. She changed her grip on the dagger, holding it by the blade so that just the tip reached past her fingers. “Now let’s see, OH I KNOW!”

What first started as a slight groan turned into full-fledged scream’s as Hera savagely carved markings into his back. Lana, opened her right eye slowly, but shut it right away at the sight of all the blood. It felt like several minutes had passed before Leon finally stopped screaming. “Ah, it’s beautiful” she heard Hera say, “Oh Lana, I think you’ll want to see this.” Lana refused to open her eyes.

“My King, if you would turn the painting so that the whore can see it, I would be most grateful.” Hera said, her voice much closer to Lana then it had been before.

King David chuckled, and twisted his hand so that Leon’s back now faced Lana’s.

“I said, OPEN YOUR EYES!” Hera screamed, holding her dagger to Lana’s neck. She opened them immediately, and screamed at what Hera had done to her loyal companion.

His once flawless and toned back had been turned into a bloody and savage painting. Fresh blood oozed from the newest wounds, mixing with older blood to create new colors on his back. Lana saw several words carved into his back including ‘Leon the Wreck’, ‘Property of Lana’, ‘Clawless cat’ and many more cruel profanities that she had only heard uttered in taverns. She closed her eyes and began to sob, “I’m so sorry, Leon.” She whispered, head falling forward.

“Leon,” the voice of the King rang out, “if you tell me what I want to know, I will end your suffering. Say the word, and I will send you to blissful oblivion. You just need to answer a few questions, and the pain will end. That sounds like a fair deal to me. What do you say you?” he took a bite from an apple, chewing loudly as he waiting for Leon’s response.

“F-Fuck… you… SIR.” Leon practically spat the last word out.

“You are resilient, I will admit. It is almost admirable.” David spoke between bites of his apple.

“I…w-will.. .never…talk.” he uttered weakly.

“It is a shame to hear that. Your body lies in tatters; I wouldn’t even know where to strike you that would inflict significant pain. I’m surprised you’re still alive.”

“My…will…is…IRON.” Leon uttered the old Vindican proverb with as much strength as he could muster.

“Mhm yes, I see that. Unfortunately…” The king stood up, and tossed the half eaten apple at Leon’s prone form, causing him to wince. David slowly approached Lana, whose limbs were spread out in much the same way Leon’s had been. He reached a finger out to brush her cheek, and she recoiled from his touch. “Your will may be iron,” he spoke softly. He pressed his dagger to Lana’s neck, “but hers isn’t.”

“You…wouldn’t. for GODS SAKE SHE IS A WOMAN!” Leon shouted, feeling some of his strength return to him at the sight of her in danger.

David sighed, “You’re right, absolutely right. It would be so unjust for a man, or a King for that matter, to inflict harm upon an unarmed female prisoner. Bad taste indeed. As such,” he handed his dagger to Hera, “the good Captain here will do it for me. After all, a Lioness must instruct her cubs how to play.” David smirked, returning to his chair.

“And I don’t play nice,” Hera whispered dangerously. She curled her fingers into the dark locks of the girl and pulled it back rather violently, earning a yelp from the young woman, “you inflicted considerable harm upon the King. My King. Unlike your friend over there…” she jerked Lana’s head towards Leon, “you and I are going to take this nice and slow.” she smirked as she drew her dagger across Lana’s cheek.

“Please…don’t…take me instead! Don’t hurt her!” Leon begged, stretching a hand out to Lana.

“If you want to save her mutt, then start barking. Tell me what you know about the Iron King’s army.” King David leaned in from his chair.

Leon glanced at Lana, “Don’t do it Leon! T-They’ll just kill us both anyways, I can handle it. I’m strong, remember? It’ll be okay.” Lana tried to assure him with as much courage as she could muster.

“Very well then. Continue Hera.” The King waved his hand and reclined back into his seat.

“Gladly. Now, back to business.” Hera jerked Lana’s head back again, exposing her neck to Leon. “You really are quite the beauty, aren’t you? Nearly every knight in the castle lusted over you. And with a set of hips like these, who could blame them?” Hera smirked, tracing her dagger along Lana’s hips. “Poor taste. They must have forgotten of your Vindican blood. But don’t worry, after I’m done with you, you won’t have to worry about men bothering you ever again.” Hera sneered, pulling Lana’s hair taught. Hera began to violently saw Lana’s hair, sheering her head as if she were a sheep. She tugged and pulled several hairs right from Lana’s scalp, earning a cry of pain from Lana every time. Finally she stepped back, grabbing Lana’s cheeks and looking critically at Lana’s hair, “What do you think, lover boy? Is she still beauty in your eyes?”  Leon growled. “Let’s get to the good part, shall we?”

Hera circled Lana like a predator does its prey, eyes fixed on the small stature of the girl. She looked critically at Lana’s body, trying to decide where her first mark would be. “How about the stomach? Yours is a little bare and boring.” She slapped Lana’s stomach, earning a yelp from the chained woman. Hera held the dagger as she did before with Leon, and began to carve a massive heart onto Lana’s stomach. Leon cried out, begging for her to use him instead. Hera ignored him, listening instead to the screams from Lana. She finished the heart and stepped back and grabbed Lana’s face in her hands. “They claim you to be a lion? Is that what you call a roar? When I start again, I want to hear the roar of a true lion, not some pathetic cub.” Hera crouched in front of Lana and went back to work, occasionally wiping the excess blood away from her drawing space. “Louder” Hera taunted, applying more pressure to the tip of the knife, “Louder!” She finished her carving, drew back and swung her dagger across the heart she had just drawn “LOUDER!”.Lana screamed in agony, loud enough to cause the torch nearest to her face to flicker. The King clapped from his chair, taking another apple from the basket. “Hmm, not bad little cub, there just might be a lioness in you after all.” She smirked, taping the exhausted Lana on the nose.

            The torture continued for what seemed like hours to Leon and Lana, King David and Hera taking turns to attempt to drive the secrets from Leon’s lips. The King was certain that torturing the woman he loved right in front of him would drive the secrets from him in no time at all. But their shared loyalty to the Iron King was tremendous, and breaking them proved to be a far more taxing ordeal then he initially anticipated. Lana was barely recognizable now, she had a savage heart with the words ‘Lana + Leon’ carved into her chest, and her arms had been branded with the personal sigils of both King David and Hera. Her back had been split open by a flog, and David was certain that several of her bones had been broken during her sessions. Yet still, they both refused to talk.

“I am at a loss for words, Captain Hera” the King huffed.

“I suppose they are of the Iron nation for a reason.” Hera replied, equally tired, “Her arms, her stomach, her chest, her neck, her back, her face, we have tortured almost every inch of her body, and still the knight refuses to talk.”

David entered Lana’s cell, examining the frail woman that hung suspended by the vines in front of him. He glanced back at Leon, who had slumped back against the wall adjacent to Lana’s cell. He had elected to watch the entire thing, as punishment for failing to bring her home safely. King David admired the man for such a quality, secretly wishing that some of his man would be so self-disciplined. He cleared his throat, waking the half asleep Lana, and drawing attention from Leon. “This is your final chance, insect. I do not wish to do what I am about to do. But I will if it means gaining a significant advantage over your kingdom. Tell me, final chance, what is Vindico and Niadus’ strategy for the war?” He spoke clearly and slowly, so that the dazed man could understand him.

“And I thought I told you, we will never talk.”

“Very well, you have forced my hand.” He turned to face Hera, “you are right Hera, we have butchered almost every inch of her body. Her arms, her face, her chest, her stomach, and of course her back,” he said proudly gesturing to each body part for more Leon’s sake then his. “However, we haven’t even touched her legs yet, or any of the surrounding areas. And, if memory serves, I believe you said that nearly all the man of castle Magi lusted over Lana when she arrived.”

“I did my king, but I’m afraid I do not understand.” Hera scratched her head in a confused manner.

“You sick bastard…” Leon mumbled, “You wouldn’t dare!”

King David ignored Leon, “Go upstairs and tell the first 5 knights you see that their dreams of fucking Lady Lana are about to come true.” The King did not smile, in fact he looked rather grim in his decision.

“Yes my liege.” Hera rushed out of the room, it appeared that she wanted to say more but held her tongue.

“Don’t do this!” Leon shouted, “You can’t do this!

“Oh, I have no intention of doing anything, the men that Hera will be returning with,” David shrugged, “who knows what they’ll do when they get their hands on her.”

“When I get out of this cell, the second I get OUT OF THIS FUCKING CELL. I WILL KILL YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS! DO YOU HEAR ME? MY BARE HANDS—“ A thick vine wrapped around Leon mouth, silencing him.

“Enough of the yelling, you two savages have given me a headache.” The King muttered, rubbing his temples.

“David, no! Please, anything but that! The flog, the knife, the brand, choke the air from my lungs! Drown me! Behead me! PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT THAT!” Lana began to sob, begging for mercy.

“Ah, here they are now.” Hera returned with five knights who were clad in identical golden armour, who lined up in front of their king. “Gentlemen, as a reward for serving me loyally these past years, I have decided to grant you your hearts desire. BEHOLD! LADY LANA!” He yelled, gesturing to the shaking and visibly terrified Lana, “YOUR NEW TOY!”

The knights exchanged glances with each other, unsure of whether or not this was a joke. They all shrugged, and one by one began to disrobe down to their fatigues. Each of them entered the cell and approached Lana, who cowered before the men.

“Don’t fucking touch me you Diruonian fucks! Don’t come near me. I’ll kill you!”

The men ignored her cries, and began to rub their hands all over her body. Lana shrieked in resistance, it was not a cry of pain, but one of fear. At five to one, it didn’t matter how much she resisted or fought.

“LANA! STOP! PLEASE! DON’T DO THIS! REMEMBER THE OATHS YOU SWORE!” Leon yelled, trying to persuade the knights against the actions they took, but to no avail. The knights continued running their hands across the young girl’s body.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO! STOP IT! LEON, LEON HELP! LEON PLEASE! DON’T LET THEM DO THIS!” Lana shrieked, begging Leon instead of David this time for mercy. Her cries echoed throughout the cell, pleading.

“I’LL TALK!” Leon shouted.

“What?” David perked up, sitting up from his chair.

“I’ll talk, please just… make them stop.”

“Knights! Cease and desist! Your King commands it!” The knights paused, and looked back one more time at the terrified Lana. One by one they shuffled out of her cell and began to reequip their armour. For the first time all night, the dungeon was completely silent. The silence was finally broken by Lana’s shattered cry. She started to sob uncontrollably, not speaking a word or looking at anyone else in the dungeon. She cowered to the corner, wrapping her arms around her shaking body. She stared at the ground and the ground alone. Hera stood silent as a statue in the corner, and David sat rigid as a boulder in his seat, his head in his hands, ashamed of what had almost transpired. “You have my thanks knight; I did not wish to see that any more than you did.”  David finally said.

Leon remained silent, biting his tongue.

“So tell me,” David began again, his voice monotone, “how large is the Iron-Mountain Alliance army is.”

“60,000 men strong.”

“Where is this force garrisoned?”

“30,000 are stationed at the Diruo-Vindico border. 15,000 are stationed at the border of Turpis, and the remaining 15,000 guard the port of Niadus.”

“How does the Alliance intend to win the war with his forces divided?”

“He hoped to take Castle Magi with the larger force, and then sweep northward to meet up with the army stationed at the Turpis border to assault King Kurtis at Castle Gaia. He wanted to end the war in one motion.”

“And what of Castle Vindico?”

“The garrisons between the border and the castle number 1000 man at arms each. Castle Vindico is stationed by 1000 knights. The Queen and Princess were moved to a secret location, not even I know where it is.”

“I see. Is there anything else I should know, mongrel?” King David sneered.

Leon shook his head silently, ashamed that he had betrayed his King and his Kingdom. He hung his head, swallowing hard.

“I see. Come Hera, we have messages to write.” The King said, ushering Hera up the stairs and out of the dungeon, the five knights following suit, leaving Leon and Lana alone in the dungeon.

The vines dropped each of the captives violently onto the floor. Leon hastily crawled to the edge of his cell and stuck his arm through the bars to reach Lana.

“Lana! Lana, milady, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry Lana… I should have spoken sooner. I did not know he would go to such an extreme for information. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry... He apologized over and over again, tears forming in his eyes.

The young woman lay face down on the cold, blood stained stone, her wounds still oozing small amounts of blood, but several of them had already clotted. Her body shook violently from her cries and when she looked up to meet Leon’s gaze, his heart nearly broke in two. The once strong and independent eyes of the woman he met all those months ago in Vindico castle were gone, replaced by two empty, soulless orbs. She looked like a little girl who had just learned her beloved pet had died, utterly defeated and without hope. Leon wanted to tear the bars down that separated the two of them, and just hold her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay. Lana slowly raised her arm and tried to reach for Leons, all she wanted was to feel Leon’s hand. Anything to let her know the nightmare was finally over. Their hands drew closer, until finally they touched.

Or so they should have. Leon’s hand went right through Lana’s hand. He thought he was seeing things; perhaps the torture had affected his brain in addition to his body. He tried again, but just as before, his hand passed through thin air where her hand should have. He looked up at her face, confused as to what was happening. But it wasn’t her face anymore. The empty eyes had transformed into bright orange spheres, and her lips curled back into a cruel smile. ‘Lana’ stood up and brushed herself off, the injuries that were inflicted upon her disappeared as if they were never there. She threw her head back and gripped her stomach, laughing uncontrollably at the situation. “You stupid man.” She smirked.

Leon heard footsteps approaching from the stairs, followed by a maniacal laughter. He recognized it as both King David’s and Hera’s. The two figures stepped around the corner, flanked by the five black knights.

“I must say boy, I was worried you would never break.” King David wore a malevolent smile upon his face, a smile mirrored by Hera.

“I don’t understand.” Leon said weakly, still staring at the Lana in the other cell.

“Look here, savage.” King David spat.

Leon turned slowly to face the King.

King David snapped his fingers once, and the five knights behind him slowly began to blow away, as if they were made from dust. Leon turned to face Lana who similarly was blowing away. Before her image disappeared, the evil Lana sarcastically blew Leon kiss, before disappearing entirely.

“Illusions…” Leon murmured in disbelief.

“Exactly.” The King said, laughing manically as he did so. He turned on his heal returning to the main floor of the castle, still laughing as he walked out of earshot. Hera remained behind and one by one extinguished each torch, until only one remained.

 She took one last look at the broken man before in the cell, spat at his feet and followed her King up the stairs, leaving Leon alone in the darkness. He laid on the floor, gazing into the abyss of darkness. He had betrayed the King who he had happily served for almost his entire life to save the woman he cared so deeply for. But he had fallen prey to one of the Mad Kings cheap tricks and believed he was saving Lana from a fate worse than death. But he had done nothing, he hadn’t saved her, he didn’t save anyone. He had failed the mission, and he had failed the King. Sir Leonidas the Reckless indeed.