Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
The dungeon was about what he’d expected.
Cold, damp stone walls underground. Flickering torches left long streaks of soot.
An old rancid stench hung in the air. Not so much that it gagged him, but enough that Hugo couldn’t quite escape the smell.
It was still only the middle of spring, so the temperature was quite cool, biting through the material of his now stained and filthy tuxedo jacket.
When Hugo gazed at himself, he almost laughed.
Tossed into a dungeon wearing a tuxedo designed by the royal tailor. He couldn’t appear more out of place.
The guards stopped at one cell, opened it, removed the rope from Everand’s hands, and shoved him inside before closing the door with a loud, metallic bang.
They took Hugo to the next cell and repeated the same actions.
The second he could move his arms, pain shot down both of them.
Circulation returned, along with pins and needles in every nerve ending.
Thankfully, iron bars separated their cells rather than a stone wall. Hugo rushed over to Everand’s cell and shoved his hands between the bars. Everand clasped his icy hands and rested his forehead on Hugo’s.
“My treasure, I’m so sorry about this. You should never have been dragged here. I never want to see you come to any kind of harm,” Everand murmured.
“Were you serious all those times you talked about us being together? Even the silly cottage in the woods with the rabbits. Did you mean it?” Hugo asked.
Everand jerked his head up, and his deep-sapphire-blue eyes glittered in the thin torchlight. “Yes, of course! You’re my treasure, and I want to be with you always.”
“Then this is part of your life, too. Being a royal isn’t all balls and brunches, right? There’s danger that comes with it. I need to see that too if I’m to understand your life. I want to share everything I can with you.”
Everand sighed and leaned on the bars again. His thumb rubbed back and forth across Hugo’s fingers. “Sure, but what if you decide I’m not worth it? Being rich is nice and fun, but people try to kill me or kidnap me every once in a while. It’s rather annoying.”
A hint of a smile played on Hugo’s lips as his lover tried to downplay all the worries that surrounded him, but it didn’t mean Hugo’s heart didn’t ache for Everand. “If I weren’t willing to stick by your side through this, it would mean I’m not worthy of you. I’m here because I want to be.”
“You are worthy, Hugo. Never doubt it. And I am glad that you’re here, even if that makes me a selfish bastard. I just feel that with you at my side, we can figure out how to fix this mess.”
Relief swept through Hugo at his words, but he didn’t miss how exhausted Everand looked. “Why don’t we sit? Or maybe you could go lie down on that straw, try to get some sleep?”
“Sitting here is enough. I want to be close to you for a little while.”
Hugo slid to the filthy stone floor and held Everand’s hand through the bar. It was cold and damp, but Everand’s hand was warm and strong.
“Um…I don’t want to pry…”
Everand huffed out a weary laugh and leaned his head against the bars. “You have every right to know why we’re in here, and it’s because of my grandparents as well as Victor’s grandparents.”
“That…was not the answer I was expecting to hear, but I’m getting the feeling that it would explain why you and King Victor look similar.”
“Yes, Victor and I are technically cousins. Or…maybe half cousins. It’s…messy.”
Hugo blinked. That only made him more confused. “Oh. Wow.”
“I don’t know all the details. My father wouldn’t tell me much, and grandmother never spoke of it, but it all started about fifty years ago.
King Philip—my grandfather—met and fell in love with a young woman named Victoria Gromwell.
Yet, before he could arrange their marriage, because marrying a royal is never a simple thing, King Dominic of Wulia swept in and brokered a deal with Victoria’s father, forcing her to marry the king of Wulia.
She warned Dominic that she loved Philip and would never be happy, but he didn’t give a damn.
Not long after the wedding, she discovered she was pregnant with Dominic’s son.
Obviously, she had to stay with him, but Philip continued to sneak messages to her, professing his love.
A year or so after Prince Xavier was born, she escaped Wulia with my grandfather and came to Branem.
Within a few months of arriving in Frostbourne, she divorced Dominic and married King Philip.
She then gave birth to her second child, who is my father, King Hubert. ”
“But what about Prince Xavier? Did she take him with her to Branem?”
Everand shook his head. “No, she left him behind with his father, King Dominic. While no one has ever admitted it, I think the rationale was that Dominic might give up an unfaithful wife, but he would never let go of his first-born son and heir to the Wulian throne. She didn’t have any choice if she wanted to be with my grandfather. ”
Sickening knots tightened in Hugo’s stomach. “King Dominic wouldn’t have been happy about losing his wife in such an embarrassing manner.”
“No. King Dominic declared war on Branem on the same day that Philip and Victoria were married. In fact, the last three wars Branem and Wulia have waged against each other have ties back to this Philip-Victoria-Dominic mess. Considering all the bad blood, I’m surprised King Xavier named his only son after his missing mother. ”
“Maybe King Xavier never saw his mother as abandoning him, but she was stolen from him. And that perception has been passed down to his son,” Hugo suggested.
Everand lowered his head and rubbed his forehead with the hand that wasn’t holding Hugo, looking as if he was fighting a headache. “Possibly. So King Victor now wants to take me as a hostage to make up for the queen who ran off. To repay the old debt.”
“Ev, I think you need to get some rest. You’re exhausted, and even if you’re permitted to speak to King Victor again, you’re in no condition to do it calmly and rationally.
Sleep. When we’ve both rested, maybe we’ll be able to come up with a way to talk some sense into the king.
End all this bad blood and wars at last.”
The prince lifted his head and stared at him with a crooked, weary smile. Dark circles underlined his eyes, which he seemed to struggle to keep open. “I like your optimism, Hugo. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“No need to worry about that. I promise to be here for as long as you need me.”
Fingers tightened on Hugo’s, and the old fierceness flashed in Everand’s eyes. “Always. I need you always.”
“Okay.”
Everand started to release him but caught his hand and even grabbed Hugo’s sleeve with his other hand. “One thing.”
“Yes?”
“Now that we’re here, you need to swear one thing to me—obey whatever the king or the guards demand of you. No more fighting. No more threats. I need you to be a model prisoner.”
“But—”
“No, Hugo. As your prince, I’m commanding this.
” Hugo frowned. This didn’t sound good at all.
Everand shut his eyes and tried to wiggle even closer.
“As your fake fiancé and would-be husband, I’m begging you to do as they say.
I have zero power here, and I can’t protect you.
Right now, King Victor doesn’t want to hurt me because he needs to get my father to cave to his wishes, but that restraint doesn’t extend to you.
Please, my treasure, I need to know that you’re as safe as I can make you. ”
Hugo understood what he was saying, but he was also afraid that King Victor would try to use him to control or even harm Everand. “Very well. I’ll behave as long as they don’t hurt you.” It was the best he could offer.
“Okay. Thank you. Now, go to sleep. We’ll talk more after we’ve rested,” Everand urged. He released Hugo and climbed to his feet with much grunting and groaning.
Hugo might have smirked until he tried to stand as well, and his body let out some creaks and moans.
He stumbled and shuffled over to the pile of hay that was to serve as his bed.
There was also a bucket in the corner that would serve for more personal matters.
Lovely. He led the most interesting life.
He’d gone from a prisoner in a Branem tower to the prince’s lover to a prisoner in a Wulian dungeon.
Not what he would have expected for himself in the slightest.
At least the hay looked new. No signs of bugs or rats, which was a plus. He lowered his body onto the makeshift bed, the fresh scent tickling his nose. The straw scratched and poked at him through his tuxedo, but he finally found a somewhat comfortable position.
Yet, even though he was weary down to his bones, sleep eluded him.
His mind buzzed with thoughts about King Philip, Queen Victoria, and King Dominic.
In some ways, he could understand the feelings of Philip and Victoria.
Hugo loved Everand so deeply that he was sure he’d go to some dramatic lengths to remain at his side.
Hell, he’d threatened to fill a man with glass.
Stealing Everand wasn’t that far of a jump.
Why had Dominic forced the matter after Victoria had told him she loved another? Had it been about ego and taking something from another king? Or had he also been in love with Victoria? Had he thought he could convince her to love him?
In all of it, the most innocent victim was baby Xavier.
What would it have been like growing up thinking that his mother had abandoned him?
Did she ever think about him and weep for the child she left behind?
He didn’t know, but he suspected that the pain Xavier had suffered was now passed on to his son, King Victor.
What was he supposed to do to help heal this old wound?
If they didn’t, there would be more wars and more death for Branem and Wulia.
There was no way in hell he wanted to watch Everand ride into battle if he could help it.
All this fighting needed to stop with their generation, and he suspected the only way that was going to happen was to convince King Victor to let this old wound heal at last.
But how the hell was he going to get an audience with the king?